Terrence McNally News

Direct from London, where it debuted to rave reviews, The Great Game: Afghanistan makes its West Coast premiere this month at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Artists and military experts, liberals and conservatives agree: this is an important work because it's that rare moment when world news and current events are illuminated by what we see on stage. Go behind the scenes of The Great Game at 7:00 PM on Monday, October 25 when director Indhu Rubasingham is interviewed in the Roda Theatre by Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi, a native of Afghanistan and the president of California State University, East Bay.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater continues its 16th season with the world premiere of There Are No More Big Secrets written by Obie Award-winner Heidi Schreck and directed by Kip Fagan.

In a recent article in The New Yorker, Ben McGrath chatted with some of the creators of the upcoming Broadway production of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, including the real Frank Abagnale, Jr. At a private preview for the show, Abagnale talked about his past, saying of his time spent in prison, 'I just look at those four to five years like I was somebody who did some crazy things as a kid, and that I lived in a great country with the opportunity to do something real positive.'

Los Angeles premiere of Terrence McNally's touching and hilarious play Some Men will benefit 'Testimony,' a project of the Courage Campaign Institute, in a one night only reading at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on Monday, October 4, 2010 at 8:00.

Theatricum Botanicum artistic director Ellen Geer has announced a delightfully eclectic season of plays, music, poetry and comedy improv for Summer 2010.

Stray Dog Theatre presents MASTER CLASS by Terrence McNally 9/16-10/2/2010. Join Maria Callas, one of the most renowned opera divas of the 20th century, as she teaches a master class. Glamorous, commanding, and larger than life, Callas glories in her illustrious career, dabbles in opera dish, and flat-out seduces the audience. Memories of artistic triumphs and scandalous love affairs consume her. Humorous, titillating and poignant - this is a play (with music) to remember and savor long after the curtain falls.

NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL and Kim Vasquez/Gray Lady Entertainment are pleased to announce THERAPY ROCKS, a new modern musical with book by Karen Bishko, Kaethe Fine and Nat Bennett, music and lyrics by Karen Bishko direction by Thomas Caruso and choreographed by Rachel Bress as part of their 2010 showcase. Performances will run September 27th at 8 pm, September 29th at 1 pm, October 1st at 8 pm, October 2nd and 3rd at 4:30 pm, October 5th at 8 pm, October 6th at 1 pm and Friday, October 8th at 1pm at Urban Stages. Tickets on sale! September 1st and can be purchased by calling (212) 352-3101 or by going to www.nymf.org.

The "godmother to cabaret," Jamie deRoy, will celebrate the 20th Anniversary Season of her Multi MAC Award-winning variety show, Jamie deRoy & friends on Tuesday, October 19th (8PM) at the cabaret hotspot The Triad (158 West 72nd Street ~ between Broadway & Columbus)----the same cabaret room (formerly Steve McGraw's) where she premiered her first show!

Lead producers Margo Lion and Hal Luftig announced today that the new musical CATCH ME IF YOU CAN will open on Broadway at The Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52nd Street, on Sunday, April 10, 2011. Preview performances begin Monday, March 7, 2011. This new musical, created by a team of Tony winners, features a book by Terrence McNally, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, choreography by Jerry Mitchell and is directed by Jack O'Brien. Casting and additional design team will be announced shortly.

The upcoming Los Angeles reading of SOME MEN will inlude performances by Matt Gould, David Alan Grier, Justin Kirk and Jeffrey Tambor. As reported previously, Alan Cumming, John Glover, Luke MacFarlane, and Jason Ritter are also set for the production.

NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL and Kim Vasquez/Gray Lady Entertainment are pleased to announce THERAPY ROCKS, a new modern musical with book by Karen Bishko, Kaethe Fine and Nat Bennett, music and lyrics by Karen Bishko direction by Thomas Caruso and choreographed by Rachel Bress as part of their 2010 showcase. Performances will run September 27th at 8 pm, September 29th at 1 pm, October 1st at 8 pm, October 2nd and 3rd at 4:30 pm, October 5th at 8 pm, October 6th at 1 pm and Friday, October 8th at 1pm at Urban Stages. Tickets on sale! September 1st and can be purchased by calling (212) 352-3101 or by going to www.nymf.org.

Theatre Arlington presents an enjoyable production of The Full Monty with several outstanding performances in supporting roles.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced back in August that Bernadette Peters will star as Sally Durant Plummer in the Kennedy Center production of Follies in the Eisenhower Theater May 7 to June 5, 2011. Additionally, BroadwayWorld.com had heard that starring alongside Peters could be Sex and the City star and Golden Globe winner Kim Cattrall as Phyllis, Danny Burstein as Buddy and John Dossett as Ben, all of whom were cast and were then in contract negotiations. We've now heard from reliable sources that neither Cattrall or Dossett were able to work out their contract deals for the production and that both sides have moved in. Now said to be in talks? First lady of the British Musical Theatre Elaine Paige and Linda Lavin, who was most recently a 2010 Tony nominee for Collected Stories. More information to come soon...

The final staged readings in our series The Great Plays of Terrence McNally will be held at Mary's Attic this Sunday and next. Make sure to purchase your tickets today!

Theatricum Botanicum artistic director Ellen Geer has announced a delightfully eclectic season of plays, music, poetry and comedy improv for Summer 2010.

Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director of the Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre, today announced the company's 2010-2011 season of four musicals and three plays, with the innovative company producing three world premieres and one regional premiere.

The woods are alive with the sound of music! Ellen Geer will star as internationally renowned opera diva Maria Callas in Master Class by Terrence McNally, opening July 3 and continuing through September 25 at the outdoor Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga.

Five screenplays with GLBT themes or characters have been named finalists in the first Great Gay Screenplay Contest sponsored by Pride Films and Plays, and will be performed as staged readings in the Great Gay Screenplay Weekend on November 20 and 21 at the Center on Halsted.

BroadwayWorld.com presents Twitter Watch, which brings you only the best and most interesting reports straight from the mouths of Broadway stars, shows and more on the hot social networking service - Twitter! Broadway legend and Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters has just opened her own Twitter account and BroadwayWorld brings you her first Tweets below:

The new Making Up the Truth by Jack Hitt will be read Friday, September 24 at 7pm as part of the Huntington Theatre Company's Breaking Ground reading series. Jessica Bauman directs.